Showing Friends Around

On April 18th Heather's friend from Middle School, Tanya, and her boyfriend John, came for a visit. We started off the weekend in Suwon, walking around an historic fortress that was built around the city hundreds of years ago. The weather felt like summer, with temps in the 80's. On Sunday we headed to Seoul where we explored the city a bit and then took in a show called "Jump." It's a non-verbal action-comedy with lots of Taekwondo moves. We all had a blast with that!

Monday T and J came to my school and got to experience school life for a typical Korean middle-schooler. Everyone was so impressed by their height and they enjoyed the new settings.

Wednesday and Thursday they explored Wonju solo as neither of us could get off work. They wandered around the market and tried some Korean snacks along the way.

Friday B and I got the day off, so we went back to Seoul for more exploring. We checked out the COEX Mall, a temple in the middle of the city, and Namdaemun Market. It just so happened that the Wonju pro basketball team was playing their final playoff game in Seoul, so we scored tix to that and were able to cheer our team onto a Championship victory!

On Saturday we took a scenic train ride from our city to the east coast, and got the see not only the mountains but also the East Sea. It was a relaxing day for everyone. We ended T and J's final night in Korea at the Norae-bang (singing room).

Everyone had a wonderful time and it's hard to believe how fast the time flew by. We're grateful that our friends came to visit us! Now it's time to prepare for Crystal (b's mom) and Christopher (b's brother), who will arrive this Friday!!

In Suwon at the World-renowned fortress.

Our first Korean meal together:barbecued pork ribs.

Pals visiting a Buddhist temple in down-town Seoul.

We met up with our Canadian friend and visited the beach in Gangneung together.

Gangneung (강릉)

Yesterday we ventured to the east coast to Gangneung to enjoy a cherry blossom festival. It was only and hour and a half bus ride away; some friends from Wonju went with and in total there were 10 of us! We walked around the man-made lake that was lined with the trees, and then went down to the beach (the East Sea). The weather was a bit chilly down by the water, but it was a fun time and many beautiful blossoms. We ended up eating dinner and having a beer with some fellow EPIKs from various cities in our province, so it was a good time.Today we took our car to the shop as there was no brake fluid in it, and it turns out we needed a new brake cylinder. Luckily the shop near our home was open (since it's Sunday) and they were able to get the part and put in on in an hour! Sometimes the level of efficiency tops that in the States. It cost us a total of $40 WOW! Now we're busy cleaning our place and getting ready for our guests (Tanya and John will be here on the 18th, and B's mom and bro will be here on May 2nd).

Pictures coming soon!

Last weekend we went to a huge gathering of foreigners in the northern city of Chuncheon. Some of the EPIK teachers had organized a pub crawl and advertised it to the whole province. We went Saturday night and had a good time meeting lots of new people and playing bar games.
Tuesday was a great day, with temps reaching the 70s! the flowers have started to bloom, and the colors are just amazing!
Today was Election Day here so we got the day off. It was a rainy day, so we spent it at H's co-teacher's house making cookies and cupcakes, and watching Korean Basketball Playoffs on their TV (we don't get cable). Our team was the regular season champion, so we're hoping they follow that up by winning the playoffs also!
Not sure yet what this weekend will bring. Hopefully we'll have sunny weather so we can venture out and enjoy the spring colors!


Taking a break from cupcakes to joke around!